All is Fair in Love and War
by DelphicPark
Summary: Max enlists in the army. When training begins, Max begins to feel a strange attraction to her Captain. FAX. i have never been in the army before, so this is purely fiction. hope you enjoy:)
1. Enlisting

**Hey guys:) i hope you guys like this. I am really pumped about this one. I HAVE NEVER BEEN IN THE ARMY SO MOST OF THIS IS FAKE. purely made up from my mind. So if i get some things wrong, you'll know why. I am also currently writing another story called How the Waves Crash and it is also a fax story. Sooooo, I hope you like it:)  
**

**I sadly don't own Max Ride. **

The train screeched to a stop at the training center. Pushing through the crowd I stepped out, clad in my uniform, as the sun beat down on my shoulders. I took off my hat, running my fingers through my shorter dirty blond locks. No need for a ponytail now. I walked toward the tables to sign in. The lady smiled sadly at me before she handed me my dog tag necklace and told me what room I would be in. I stepped aside, glancing at the people as they signed in. Some looked nervous, others terrified. Many were asking themselves what they'd gotten themselves into, but I wasn't. I knew exactly who I was, why I was there, and what I needed to do.

My name is Maximum Ride. I am twenty two years old. I am from Philadelphia, New Jersey. I am enlisted in the army. I could die. It was quite possible that I would never see my little sister Ella again, or my best friend JJ. I might never experience having kids, or growing old. I don't care. Its been my dream to fight for my country. No matter how many people tried to convince me not to go, I left. I needed to. I just didn't know why.

Glancing down at my paperwork, I made my way toward my bunk. Training was going to be rough, but I'd manage. I always do. Dust sailed with the wind, getting into my eyes and making them water slightly. I ignored it, turning the corner to the opening of my bunk. I looked down the rows of beds, picking a bottom bunk towards the middle. I tossed my duffel down on the bed and grabbed my water. Turning around, I felt someone bump into my shoulder. A petite girl fell to the floor, everything flying out of her bag.

I reached out a hand, and she took it, hauling herself up. "Sorry about that," I said, keeping my voice steady. The girl smiled.

"Its okay. My name is Maddie." I nodded. Her short chocolate bangs flew across her forehead, out of her eyes. She looked sweet and innocent. Training was going to absolutely break her.

"Max." we stood in silence for a few minutes.

"You want to go to the meeting with me?" I nodded again. The first meeting was at the flagpole, where they would discuss rules and such. Pushing her bag on the bunk next to mine, she grabbed her water and beckoned me to walk with her. We quickly rounded the corners, either of us not speaking a word.

"Why are you here?" I asked, glancing at her. She shrugged, still as happy as ever.

"My boyfriend enlisted, and I wasn't going anywhere without him. I thought this would be a cool experience." Damn, she was naïve. She had no idea of the absolute horrors she will see out on that battlefield.

"What's his name?" she blushed, glancing away.

"James."

"Well," I told her. "James better be worth it." She smiled.

"Oh, trust me, he is. I know he'd like you. I'll have to introduce you two." We arrived at the flagpole, where people were gathering and talking about things like the weather, trying to get all the blood they'd see off their minds. One guy in particular, immediately started running towards us, his eyes shining. I almost had to dive out of the way so I wouldn't get run over. The guy hugged Maddie so tightly, I was afraid she couldn't breathe. Putting her down gently, he leaned in and kissed her. _Oh,_ I thought, piecing it together. I stood there awkwardly for a few minutes, watching them kiss. Slowly she pulled away. "James, this is my friend Max. Max, this is my boyfriend James."

I looked him over, strawberry blond hair trimmed short, but not buzzed. Big blue eyes and a goofy smile. Another naïve person. Am I the only one here who knows what their doing? "Nice to meet you." James said, extending a hand.

"Likewise." I said, shaking his hand stiffly.

"Where are you from?"

"Philly."

"That's nice. We're from Arizona."

"That explains the farmers tan." he looked down at his sleeves and laughed.

"Yea, I guess it does." Just then a horn went off signaling the beginning of the meeting. We walked back towards the crowd, where about 400 people stood, all in uniform. The head officer began reading off rules, which included stuff like 'No fighting in camp' and 'Bed by 10.' during all this, James was making funny faces at Maddie, making her giggle. Almost ten people told her to shut up already, and we weren't even halfway through the meeting.

"Now, we will assign you your captains. Leroy Adams, meet Captain Marcus Jones. Please go stand behind your captain." A smaller looking man walked up to the podium and took his place behind Captain Marcus, who looked tough as nails. I heard James gulp. He was scared. The Colonel kept reading off names, each person walking steadily as they can to their new captain. "James Gordon, you're with Captain Ari Smith." James stiffly let go of Maddie's hand and walked toward a bulky guy with brown hair, his arms crossed over his chest. Maddie grabbed my arm, starting to get nervous. Honestly, I was kind of scared for her. She was too fragile to be in the army. How could James let the person he loves walk right into death itself.

"Max Ride, meet Captain Nick Martinez." Slowly, I detached Maddie from my arm and walked confidently to the podium. The crowd moved out of the way for me, guiding me. I could finally see. Standing to the left of the podium was a tall man with shaggy black hair and olive toned skin. Wasn't your hair supposed to be cut in the army? I felt uneasy under his calculating eyes. He looked only a few years older than me, his lean athletic build making him look strong, and _scary._ I looked away, going to the back of the line, standing behind a boy with blond locks and blue eyes with a cocky smile. I took a deep breath. _And so it begins…_

__**So, there's chapter 1. i hope you liked it, and if you have any suggestions on how i can improve this, let me know.**

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	2. Agility course

**Sorry guys, i had a typo last chapter. I know if some of you read it and saw it, you were like, WTF? Philadelphia isn't in New Jersey its in Pennsylvania!**

**again, sorry. I was tired. Thanks to the person who told me (though the 'get your facts straight' was kind of unnecessary) I hope you guys like this chapter and if you find anything please tell me!**

The horn blasted through camp, making almost everyone in my bunk groan. I was up in a flash, shrugging on my uniform and brushing my teeth. I slipped on my boots, and double knotted them, sticking the rest of my laces in my boot. I placed my dog tag necklace around my neck so it fit nice and snug. I began to walk towards the mess hall, keeping a steady pace. "Wait!" I turned to see Maddie coming after me, still tying her boots. She tripped her way over to me, eyes rimmed with red from lack of sleep.

"Ready?" I asked, and she nodded, standing up straight. We walked into the doors of the mess hall, to find most of the people already serving themselves at the buffet table. We came to the line, looking down at all the food. It looked alright. I grabbed my stuff and a carton of milk before following Maddie to where James sat, with another two people. I sat, glancing at the other two new faces. They looked identical, with snowy white hair and big sapphire blue eyes. They looked pretty young. What are they doing here?

"Hey, I'm Angelina, and this is my brother Claude." The girl said, giving me an innocent smile. Claude, on the other hand, gave me a cold glare. I ignored it giving Angelina a smile back. We ate in silence for most of the time. James and Maddie would glance at each other a lot, blushes painting their cheeks. Angelina spoke quietly to Claude, who narrowed his eyes as he nodded. Me, in the midst of all this, sat patiently, waiting for the horn to ring again.

As if on cue, it did. I stood robotically, walking to the door. Air swirled around me as I left the mess hall, going to where my team was stationed today. Agility. I worked my way across campus alone. A few minutes and there it was, the agility course. At a quick glance, I'd say it's a piece of cake. But when you look closer, you can tell nothing is as it seems. Captain Nick stood at the front of the group, not yet talking. His eyes scanned the group, emotionless and cruel. I stood at the back, waiting for instruction. His lips parted slightly, forming the words. "Line up."

Immediately people were moving. I walked to my place and stood still. His eyes flickered over me and I tensed. Back straight. Shoulders back. Feet together. I could almost feel his eyes narrow as he moved to each person. He could read our deepest secrets if he wanted to. His feet moved in the same shuffling pattern. Step, step, stop. Step, step, stop. Step, step, stop.

Then, the pattern was gone. I looked up to see Nick eyeing the blue eyed boy I stood behind yesterday. The boy was slouched disrespectfully, looking like he didn't have a care in the world. Nick cleared his throat, making the boy straighten a little. He looked terrified. Most would, if put in a staring contest with Mr. Grumpypants. Nick turned then, back to the group. "Today, we will be testing your agility. By the end of training, you should be able to complete this with ease. I will demonstrate. He walked to the beginning of the course, which consisted of pushing through a series of poles without touching one as fast as you could. He started swiftly moving through the poles. He moved fast, expression never changing. He finished that, jumping up on a high platform. He backpedaled across it, before turning around and jumping down, not wasting a second.

He ran across the field, determined. Suddenly, he cut backward, coming back toward us. He side jumped 10 hurdles straight before coming to a ladder that was placed on the ground. He stepped two times in each rung, not touching it. Then he finished. He wasn't even sweating. Coming to the end of the line, he smirked. The only emotion he'd shown all day. "Reynolds, you're up first."

Everyone turned to see the blue eyed boy walk up to the beginning of the course, his face uncertain. He gave Nick a scared look before readying himself. Nick nodded, and blew the whistle, making my ears ache. The boy took off, trying to push his way through the poles. He wasn't as graceful or as fast as Nick, but he did okay. One by one people did their run through, each looking more scared than the next. None could beat Nick's time. Finally it was my turn and Nick's cold eyes were on mine as he blew the whistle. Shock coursed through my body as I sprinted towards the poles. I was through them in a flash, heat rolling off my body. I jumped the wall and backpedaled, pushing myself to go faster.

Jumping the other wall, I ran and cut back. I jumped the 10 hurdles with ease, coming to the ladder. I moved through it, my heart pounding. I slid to a stop and looked up. Everyone was staring at me, their mouths hanging open. Nick's eyebrows were furrowed and his eyes were narrowed. Second emotion of the day. I looked around trying to find what was wrong. Looking up at the clock, I saw the numbers 1:37. My jaw dropped.

Nick's time had been 1:40.

**Okidoki. that's it today. I might update sooner if you review...**

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	3. Firing Pits

**Hey! Merry Christmas (And other holidays too!) I got a new electric guitar, Paramore and Linkin Park t-shirts, and a kindle fire! Its been a great Christmas! Alllrrriiiggghhttt. **

**CookieMonstersBFF: that wasn't you who offended me, it was someone else :)**

**Thank you so much for all the reviews! I love you all!**

**I don't own Maximum Ride :(**

Nick cleared his throat, his eyes almost dilated. "Go to the firing pits." he told us, before turning to go into one of the smaller buildings, his face clouded with something unrecognizable. I watched him go, confused. What just happened? I began to walk, when someone grabbed my shoulder. It was the boy. His eyes were shining.

"That was amazing!" he said, his voice almost quivering. "I can't believe you did that. Captain Nick is mean, so I'd be careful if I were you." Now that he was up close, he looked the required age, with a splash of freckles across his pale nose. He smiled, reaching out a hand. "I'm Gazzy." I gave him a questioning look. He shook his head. "Don't ask." I took his hand, smiling for the first time since we got here.

"I'm Max." We walked to the firing pits together, finding that everyone else got there before us and were already lined up by Nick. We were late. Shit.

"Come on, we don't have all day!" Nick yelled impatiently, his eyes on me the entire time. I pushed my way into the line, Gazzy scrambling to his place a little way down. "Welcome to the firing pits. Today you will be learning to fire a M-16 rifle." (I don't know if that's right or not) his gaze swerved through the crowd. "Get to your positions." Each of us were handed a rifle, and given a stall to stand in. I did as I was told, standing in my stall, looking out at the wasteland in front of me. Targets littered the area. Nick stood in the center stall, holding the gun. He stood, his right foot in front of his left, keeping his weight neutral.

He lifted the gun to his right eye, and inhaled. His fingers looked like they were itching to pull the trigger. Everyone stared at him, holding their breaths. With his exhale the bullet left the chamber, spiraling out into space. The bang echoed through my ears. I almost flinched, my heart rate speeding up. Nick lowered the gun, a smirk etched into his face. I looked around to find Gazzy holding his ears with a full blown smile on his face. Nick turned to the group. "Try it, but do me a favor and don't kill anybody." People began to lift their guns. I saw people trying to copy Nick, while others just shot the gun with no care at all.

I looked at my feet. Right foot in front of left, check. Weight centered, check. Gun to the right eye, check. I inhaled, feeling the itch to pull the trigger. I exhaled and clicked the trigger. The boom went off, creating dust that swirled around in front of me and made my short hair fly around my forehead. With a thunk, it hit the nearest target. I turned back. Some people were staring, giving me the _how the hell did you do that? _look. Turns out, Nick didn't see anything. He was helping someone else down the row. I focused again repeating my movements.

I emptied a clip in about 15 minutes, and grabbed a new one from a compartment from my stall. I aimed for a far target on my left, and fired, hoping for the best. I waited, but there was no noise. It sunk in slowly. I had missed. I was just about to fire again when I felt a pair of hands grab my waist, sending electric shocks through my body. I shuddered, turning to find the owner of the hands. Nick stood there, his face passive. "You're aimed the wrong way." I nodded stiffly, letting him move me so that I was faced the target correctly. The entire time his hands were sending shockwavesof warm electricity through my body. He let go, the warmth fading. I shook the happy feeling from my body, and got back to focusing. I shot a few more clips before Nick called us over for lunch.

"Head towards the Arena right after lunch, and don't be late. You have no excuses." his eyes flickered towards mine for a minute before pulling away. "Alright, go eat." I walked to the lunch room with Gazzy, making small talk as we stepped inside. I found Maddie quickly and sat down with her. Gazzy sat next to me, introducing himself to the group. I sat and ate quietly, glancing around the room. I saw Nick at his table, speaking to a captain with sandy blond hair and Atlantic ocean eyes. They looked as if they were whispering.

"Max, What do you have next?" Maddie asked. I looked back at her.

"The Arena." She squealed, clapping frantically.

"I had that!" she frowned thoughtfully. "It was hard."

The horn sounded, and I began to walk to the arena, Gazzy just a little bit ahead of me. I was almost there when a hand grabbed me and pulled me back, almost making me scream.

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	4. The Arena

**Hey ya'll. Sorry this took so long. I am like, the biggest procrastinator in the world when it comes to updating. I don't know why...**

**But thanks for all the reviews and here is the next chapter!**

I turned around, ready to punch the person who's grabbed me. My fist had almost hit his face when I realized who it was. I dropped my hand, a look of confusion spreading over my features. It was the captain that Nick was talking to earlier at the lunch table. Now up close, I could see that he had little specks of silver throughout his Atlantic ocean eyes. He smiled, adorable dimples showing on his cheeks. "Hey, I'm Captain Dylan. I heard you beat Fang's record in agility. You should be awfully proud of yourself."

"Fang?" I asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"Oh yea," he said, glancing at his toes, a faint blush on his cheeks. "That's what we call Captain Nick. There's a whole story on how he got it too."

"Well, you think you could tell me?" Curiosity bubbled up inside me. Nick had a mysterious edge to him, making me want to decipher everything he said.

"Maybe later," Dylan smiled again. "But you need to get to the Arena." we stood awkwardly for a few minutes.

"Right." I stated trying to look anywhere but him. "I'll see you later, Captain." I began to walk off, my heart pounding.

"Its just Dylan!" he called. I waved him off, a small smile on my face. I was making FRIENDS. This is kind of new. Back in school, I was more of a social outcast. Guys never payed attention to me, and popular girls scrunched their noses in disgust at me. But, I wasn't exactly the nicest person either. I was pretty uptight.

I made it to the arena, my heart pounding. Nick was going to kill me for being late again. I found everyone listening to Nick just like before. I walked up cautiously, shrinking a little under Nick's glare. "Now, girls will fight against girls, guys against guys. The winners from that will face off, and the final winner will fight me." I could hear Gazzy gulp from three rows down. Everyone around me tensed. Wonderful. Basically, the winner out of all of us gets to be beaten to a pulp by Nick. This is just fabulous.

Nick began to read off names. "Steven Jacobs and Michael Ryans, Callie Meaghan and Rebecca Thomas, Gazzy Stratton and Eli Jones.." He read off name by name, never stumbling. His lips seemed to barely move. "Maximum Ride and Lissa Reynolds." I nodded. People began fighting, making dust fly up from the dry ground. Some people screamed, others grunted. When the time came, Gazzy fought his hardest, but it wasn't enough. Eli Jones crushed him. Gazzy sat back down, still clenching his almost-broken jaw. Nick glanced down at his clipboard. "Next is Max and Lissa." I walked stiffly to the center. I almost winced as Nicks burning eyes rested on my face. I looked across from me to find a petite redhead already shaking from nerves. I smirked. This is going to be fun.

Nick's eyes narrowed as he blew the whistle. The sound filled my ears, making me put up my fists. Lissa did the same. By the time I took a breath, she was running towards me. I didn't move, letting her tackle me to the ground. Dust came, making me cough. She was getting ready to slam her fist down when I kneed her in the stomach, making her recoil. I slammed my fist into her nose, then quickly flipped her off of me. I got up, wiping the dust off my shirt. She slowly got back up, then dove for me again. This time I moved, sticking my foot out. She tripped, making most of the recruits chuckle.

"Max," an icy voice spoke. I turned to see Nick staring at me. "Stop playing with her." He knew. He knew this fight was all fun and games for me. I nodded, turning back to Lissa, who had righted herself. I threw myself at her. We landed with a thud. I punched her lightning fast, one at a time. I knew I had to stop when she began to cry. I hauled myself up, glaring at the recruits. I turned to Nick and he nodded. I sat back down, leaving a crying Lissa on the ground. People were whispering around me. I ignored them, glancing back at Nick. His eyebrows were knitted as he marked Lissa off his clipboard. He called the next names, while I sat and wondered who I'd face next.

**Line break**

I've gone through five rounds, and I was the top girl. The guy I was going to face was none other than Mr. Eli Jones, the guy that took Gazzy down in the first round. He could definitely beat the shit out of anyone if he wanted to. He had a bulky physique that clued me in. This isn't going to be a walk in the park.

He crashed into me, knocking me down like a bowling pin. I tried to squeeze myself out from under him, but it was impossible. He slugged me across the face, making me cry out in pain. He had me totally had me pinned, with nowhere to go. I wiggled just enough to move my leg away from his. Just like with Lissa, I kneed him in the stomach, He left go of one of my hands, moaning, Now it was my turn to punch him. I got him in the face three times before slipping out from under him. I kicked him in the side repeatedly. Finally, he'd given up, spitting a wad of blood on the ground. He stalked away from me. And that's when I realized it. I was going to have to fight Nick.

Oh, fuck.

I should've let Eli beat me.

Nick took a step forward, setting down his clipboard and removing his whistle. I turned to Gazzy to find him puking a little ways off. Looks like I'm on my own. Nick pulled up his sleeves, an aggressive glint in his eyes. I took my stance, he took his. And before I could process anything, I was on the ground. Nick had me pinned, and fireworks were going off wherever he touched me. _No distractions,_ I thought as I tried to knee him. I succeeded, but he didn't even flinch. In fact, I think he was laughing at my efforts. The searing of his hands wouldn't go away. I needed it to go away. So I did what any normal person would do.

I bit him.

Why? I don't know. There was nothing else I could do. His fingers snapped away from my wrist, and I used that little time I had for an attack. I punched him square in the nose, catching him off guard. I flipped us over, so that I was on top. I continued to punch him, my heart in my throat. His knee's pushed against my chest, making me fly off of him. He got up, wiping the blood from his nose with his sleeve. Once I got up he tripped me again, making me fall. He had me pinned again, malice lingering in his eyes. Slowly, I became aware of how close we were. Both of us, breathing heavily. A smirk appeared on his face. And then his lips moved, forming the words.

"I believe, that you lost."

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	5. The Woods

**I'M SO SORRY. My computer has not been working for the past few months and I've been dying to get a chapter up. Hopefully you guys are still interesting in reading this fic. FAX coming up in chapters soon. I'll work harder to get them up.**

He stood up, brushing excess dust from his uniform. He reached a hand down to help me up, and I huffed, grabbing it. Nick nodded, turning back to the group. "Everyone, be at the woods in ten minutes. No exceptions." I took off after the others. Gazzy waited for me, his eyes wide.

"that was…..intense." He swallowed. I rolled my eyes. "I can basically hear your frustration."

"I should have beat him." I replied flatly, glancing back at him as I began to walk away. Gazzy laughed half heartedly.

"Max, he has experience! That's probably the only reason he beat you." I snorted. Stupid Captain Nick and his fancy uniform with his fancy badges and all that shit. I should have beat him. I should have knocked his fat face right into the ground. Gazzy kept his distance as we walked to the woods, which was probably a good thing considering how I was fuming. God, how did Nick get to me like that? Its like his job to piss me off. We made it to the woods, and I tried my hardest to not shoot glares at Nicks head as he described sniping to us.

"Sniping is when you shoot a target from a concealed place. We will split into teams, red against blue, and we will fire paint balls at each other. If you're hit, you're out. Try to shoot from distances. We will test that out soon too. Line up." We did as we were told, and we were split into teams. Everyone grabbed a vest and a mask, while Nick handed out guns. I've learned from observations that Nick liked to participate with his initiates. I watched him as he picked up a red paintball gun, and turned to the other team. Figures. I loaded my gun with my blue paintballs and walked over to my team. Gazzy turned out to be on the red team, so it was just me. We lined up opposite of each other, far enough away so that I couldn't read Nicks expression when he blew the whistle. People immediately ducked down around me, getting cover from the bushes. Instead, I ran toward the nearest tree, gripping the lowest branch. Its rough bark cut into my skin as I hauled myself up, one branch at a time. Once I was near enough to the top, I scanned the ground below for red guns. People were shooting left and right, and I managed to pick off a few people who were standing around. I turned my aim on Nick, who stood half obscured behind a tree and a bush, his gun raised next to his right eye. I exhaled and fired. Opening my eyes, I found that I had missed. He was too far away. I moved further up the branch, being careful not to fall. I reloaded, a knot in my throat. Don't look down, Don't look down. I was just about to fire again when the branch snapped.

I screamed in shock, tumbling to the ground. I grabbed at the open air, trying to find something to hold to, even though I knew there was nothing. I hit my head multiple times on the way down. Pain rushed into my head, my muscles and joints aching. I stayed on the ground a few minutes, catching my breath. I slammed my fist on the ground, raking the dirt through my fingers. Damn it! Nick was right there! I had him! I picked up my gun, realizing I was still in. I stayed behind a bush on the right-hand side, shooting at anyone I could see.

There was only a few people left. I spotted Nick, who was now on his stomach behind some tall grass. I moved the gun into place, and I fired immediately. It hit him in slow motion, the paint splattering up into his midnight locks. He stood, his hands up, signaling that he was out. Just then, I felt a pain in my stomach, and I doubled over. Someone hit me. The red paint was all over my vest, smeared like fresh blood. I looked back up to see Gazzy with a mischievous smile on his face. I laughed and flipped him the finger, before walking over to where everyone else stood.

I stood there quietly, when the hairs on the back of my neck started to stand on end. I turned to see Nick staring at me, an even expression on his face. It seemed that his eyes were suffocating me, and the smell of pine trees were everywhere. Shivers went up and down my arms, leaving goose bumps in their wake. I turned back, my heart beating at a unhealthy rate. How could he do this? I was suddenly sweaty and a little self conscious. What the fuck? (A/N: excuse my language.) Gazzy walked up to me, grinning. "I bet you didn't see me coming, am I right?" I rolled my eyes, forgetting all about Captain Nick Martinez.

"Where are we going next?" I asked Gazzy, and he shrugged.

"I think we are doing sprints." He made a face.

"Wonderful." I murmured.

Meet at the track in 10." Nick yelled, before walking out back into the campgrounds. Gazzy and I walked slowly to the water fountains in silence. I'm glad I have Gazzy. Its not awkward or weird, its just comfortable. And that's all I need now.

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	6. The Track

**I'm horrible. I really am. Its been sooooooo long. I'm very sorry. Anyways, i hope you like this chapter. And i want remind you all that i have no knowledge on what its actually like in the army. Though i try to do some research, this is pure fiction and not totally accurate at some points in this story. I'm a 14 year old girl, i only know so much :)**

**Enjoy!**

It was almost dark by the time we reached the track. Crickets began to chirp as the sun lower itself below the horizon. The wind had picked up a bit more, making goosebumps spread across my skin like a wildfire. We lined up in our row, and Nick cleared his throat, his dark eyes adjusting to the darker light. "Now, welcome to the hard part. Get down and give me 50 pushups. Now." Everyone got into position, no one making a sound. "Begin." his voice rang through the field like a gunshot. I went down as low as I could, heart pounding. Everyone knows what happens now. You screw up, and Nick will make you wish you'd never been born. Apparently it gets harder everyday. Or at least, that's what my old friend told me. Nine, down. Ten, down. Eleven… "Everyone stop!" I sat up to see Nick grabbing someone by the collar of their uniform. He pushed him up to the front of the group, his eyes burning with something unrecognizable.

"What is your name, Private?" The man kept his eyes down, as if he was already feeling the weight of shame on his shoulders.

"Josh, sir. My name is Josh." I looked back at Nick to find his eyes as cold as they were a second before.

"Now Josh, can you show me that pathetic excuse for a pushup?" Josh glanced around before getting into position and doing a really bad pushup. His arms shook, and he went down maybe four inches before coming back up. The track was silent, and everyone watched with tired eyes.

My heart constricted. By now, even Josh knew what was going to happen. Nick straightened even more. "Now give me a _real _pushup." Josh immediately responded, trying to stop the shaking in his arms as he went down. His nose brushed against the dirt of the field, and his breathing blew some of the dust away. Nick yelled for the first time, his pitch black eyes reflecting off of the sky. "100 more! One screw up and you do ten more! Lets go!" His yelling continued, making the person to my right shake more than she already was. Anyone could tell Nick wasn't one to yell, he just wasn't the type. He was more cool and collected.

For hours we kept exercising. By the end most people were a wreck. People were throwing up in bushes, collapsing, and shaking. I was aching all over. Pain flashed through my muscles, making me groan.

But I kept going. I hate getting yelled at. At 243 pushups Nick told us to go shower. I limped back towards the girls cabin and grabbed my towel. I was just about to leave when Nudge walked in, plucking her towel from her bedpost. "Max! Hey!" she came up next to me. "How was your first day of training?" I yawned and grabbed a bottle of shampoo from my bag.

"Alright. And yours?" she shrugged.

"Painful. But that's expected, right?" I nodded and began to walk to the showers. We walked together, our backs stiffening whenever someone walked by us. We reached the shower house and I went into one of the empty stalls. Lukewarm water trickled down my back, washing the dirt from my body. My muscles were throbbing painfully the entire time. I turned off the water, wrapping a towel around my body before reaching out to grab a new clean uniform. I changed, then brushed my teeth.

That night sleep was almost impossible. Almost everyone was up, some were pacing, others contemplating how they were going to get the fuck out of there. People were already scared of what was to come. I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't anxious. We would first see battle on June 5th, where we would go and attack one of the main enemy bases that we needed to gain control over in order to move forward in the war. People would die, there's no denying that. But even if I die, I will die knowing that I protected my sister and my family, and that I fought for our country. They can ship me back in that coffin with a big American flag on it, and I will be proud. No regrets.

Finally, I slept.

...

Weeks had passed and finally everyone had gotten used to the routine of the training camp. Captain Nick had gotten harder to deal with and avoid, but I managed. People were beginning to look more fit, the girls especially. It got easier for me to find my way around, and suddenly it was like my home here. Yea, I still have a few more months to go before I actually see action, but I could wait. The obstacle courses had gotten harder and involved electric wires, where if you hit them, you were shocked. We once had to swim through a giant tub of ice water, and climb back up a ladder at the end.

Soon enough weapons got involved in our sparring sessions, making them more difficult. The targets for firing practice seemed to get further and further away each day. We started learning how to work machines, use grenades, and open a container of poisonous gas. People were getting less naïve by the day, realizing what they will actually see on the battlefield. Nick taught us many things, making sure we were well prepared for action.

At night sometimes we went out and made fires, and we all sat down and told stories from home. I remember one night too clearly. You see, we had all forced Nick to share a story, because most of the girls wanted to see inside his dark and quiet reserve. Nick tried as hard as he could to get out of it, but he was forced to sit down in front of everyone and share a memory about why he wanted to join the army. The fires red hot tongues danced in his black eyes as he stared at us all. An emotionless pit of knots and tangles. With a straight face, and an almost cold voice, he spoke.

"Both of my parents were killed in action."

Lets just say there was no more laughter that day.

**So I hope you liked this chapter, though it has been awhile. I'm not entirely sure when the next chapter will be up, and i don't want to make any promises. But hopefully I'll stop procrastinating and actually get some work done. Sorry again for the wait.**

**Review?**


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